Hand or treadle operated printing press



D. A. ASPINALL HAND OR TREADLE OPERATED PRINTING PRESS Dec. 22, 1936.

Filed March 16, 1936 Patented Dec. 22, 1936 ATENT GFICE HAND R TREADLE OPERATED PRINTING PRESS Donald Aifleck Aspinall, Twickenham, England Application March 16, 1936, Serial No. 69,206 In Great Britain February 22, 1935 7 Claims.

This invention relates to small manually operated printing presses of the kind which comprise a heavy cast stand including a base or body on which is mounted a box for the type bed in substantially vertical position associated with inking mechanism, said base also being provided with an upstandinghorn to which a lever (hand or treadle operated) is pivoted behind a platen hin'ged transversely across the body and adapted to be pressed on to the type by rocking the said lever.

The present invention concerns a sheet gripping device for printing presses of this kind, the action of which is to grip the sheet just before, during and just after printing and to stand away from the platen at other times to allow the blank sheet to be fed in and the printed sheet to be removed.

According to the invention a sheet gripping '2 device for small hand or treadle operated printing presses comprises a side arm mounted for rocking on the platen axis and spaced from the side edge of the platen, a finger or fingers carried by said arm and extending over the platen, a spring urging side arm towards the platen and a stop for arresting said armin its movement under the action of the spring in an intermediate position between the open platen and the type bed.

Other features of the invention will be referred to as the description thereof proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing two embodiments of sheet gripping device according to the invention are illustrated by way of example.

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a small hand operated printing press fitted with one form of sheet gripping device according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the sheet gripping device, as seen from the right hand side of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of another form of sheet gripping device and Fig. 4 is a rear view of same as seen from the right hand side of Fig. 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the sheet gripping device is mounted on a small hand operated printing press comprising a body I, a type bed 2, ink plate 3, platen i rockable around the fixed axle 5 and operating handle 5 adapted to rock the platen for pressing same to the type bed 2 and also to operate the inking mechanism through a lever I, it being noted that of the inking mechanism only the ink plate 3 is shown.

The sheet gripping device comprises a stub axle 8 fixedly screwed on to the platen at 9 and having a reduced journal I0 on which the side arm II is adapted to rock freely. The journal has a threaded extension i 2 of reduced diameter and on this extension is mounted and secured by a Winged nut I3 an anchor plate I4. The arm II has an extension I5 beyond its pivotal point and to this extension and one end of the anchor plate l4 are attached the respective ends of a tension spring it which tends to urge the arm I I towards the platen 4. The movement of the arm II towards the platen is limited by a stop conveniently formed by the inbent end I! of the anchor plate I4. It will be seen that the arm II, when inoperative, is held in a position intermediate of the type bed 2 and the open platen 4.

A springy finger I8 extending over the platen 4 is carried by the arm II. The finger I8 has a hub or the like I9 adapted to fit over the arm II and a screw 20 with winged nut 2| is adapted to clamp the finger on to the arm II. When the nut 2| is not tightened the bush can slide on the arm I I, so that the finger I8 may slide for adjustment on the arm and may be fixed in adjusted position by tightening the nut 2|. The finger I 8 is, of course, so adjusted as to be outside the confines of the type bed 2. Two fingers, an upper and a lower, may be fitted if desired.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 3 and 4 the arm 22 is fixed in a bearing sleeve 23 which is mounted for rocking on a, spindle 24 which is firmly screwed into the platen axle 25. A collar 2B is clamped by means of a screw 21 and winged nut 28 on to the spindle 24 so as to be immovable relatively to the bearing sleeve 23. The collar 28 and the bearing sleeve 23 have interengaging dogs permitting limited relative angular movement between these members, the dog of the bearing sleeve being indicated at 29 and. that of the collar at 3B. The collar 26 has an arm 3| and the bearing sleeve 23 has an arm 32 which are urged towards one another by a tension spring 33. In the inoperative position shown in Fig. 3 adjacent faces of the dogs 29, 3G meet on one side, as shown on the left, thereby limiting the plateward movement of the bearing sleeve 23 and the arm 22 to a position intermediate between the platen open and platen closed positions, indicated by the chain dotted lines 34 and 35 respectively. In this position, as will be seen in Fig. 3, the adjacent faces of the dogs 29, 30 stand apart, so that the bearing sleeve 23 and the arm 22 can be rocked towards the type bed 2 against the action of the spring 33.

Mounted on the arm 22 there is a slide 36 which is adapted to receive the springy finger 31 extending over the platen. The slide 361, the arm 22 and the finger 31 can be all clamped together by means of a screw 38 after the slide has been adjusted on the arm and the finger in the slide.

In operation, platen open, the gripping device comprising the side arm H or 22 and the cross finger I8 or 3! stands in a position clear of and between the type bed and the platen. A sheet can now be easily fed on to the platen. On closing the platen the same moves towards the gripping device and carries the latter forward towards the type against the action of the spring I 6 or 33. On opening the platen the gripping device moves back with it under the action of the spring, but stops in the position shown in Fig. 1 or Fig. 3, the platen continuing its opening movement. The sheet which has been clamped to the platen by the springy finger just before during and just after making the impression is thus released and can be easily removed, whereupon the cycle of operation is repeated with a fresh sheet of paper.

I claim:

1. A sheet gripping device for printing presses comprising a journal member fixed coaxially on the platen axle, a side arm pivotally mounted to rock on the journal member and including an extension beyond its pivotal point, abutment means for the arm fixed on the journal member, a tension spring engaging the extension of said arm and having its opposite end connected to a portion of said fixed abutment means whereby the said spring normally urges said arm towards the platen and said abutment means, and a sheet gripping finger carried by the upper end of said arm.

2. 'A sheet gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the arm is rockable on a journal. fixed coaxially on the platen axle and has an extension beyond its pivotal point, said journal having fixed thereto an anchor plate between one end of which and the extension of the arm a tension spring is mounted adapted to urge the arm towards the platen, said anchor plate having a ledge limiting the platenward movement of the arm under the action of said tension spring.

3. A sheet gripping device according to claim 1,

wherein the arm is fixed in a bearing sleeve mounted for rocking on a spindle fixed to the platen axle, said spindle having fixedly attached thereto a collar having an arm between which and a like arm on the bearing sleeve a tension spring is disposed adapted to rock said bearing sleeve relatively to the collar towards the platen, said bearing sleeve and said collar having interengaging dogs adapted to limit the platenward rocking of said bearing sleeve under the action of said tension spring and to permit its rocking against the action of said spring away from the platen.

4. A sheet gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the finger is springy and is adjustably mounted on said side arm.

5. A sheet gripping device according to claim 1, wherein the finger is adjustably mounted in a slide which in turn is adjustable on said side arm.

6. A sheet gripping device for printing presses comprising a journal fixed coaxially with the platen axle, an arm pivotally mounted on said journal and having its lower portion extending beyond the journal, an anchor plate fixed to the journal and having an inwardly ofiset abutment portion for limiting platenward move ment of the arm, a spring for connecting the extension of the arm and the end of the anchor plate opposite said abutment portion, and a sheet gripping finger carried by the upper portion of the arm.

7. A sheet gripping device for printing presses comprising a journal fixed coaxially on the platen axle, a bearing sleeve mounted on the journal member for relative rocking movement thereon and including an abutment face and a radial extension, an arm carried by said bearing sleeve, a collar fixed on the journal member and having an abutment face and also having a radial extension, and a spring connecting said radial extensions of the collar and sleeve normally to cause the abutments on the sleeve and collar to engage and hold the sleeve between the type bed and platen when the press is open, and

a sheet gripping member carried by the upper end of the arm,

DONALD AFFLECK ASPINALL. 

